apexxx

Its that time of year again. Time to report to my friends what I thought were the Top 10 albums of the year.

Im pretty sure most of you have never heard of most of these bands or albums, but trust me that its some good shit.

Check them out if you get the cahnce.

Ive been working on this list on and off the past 3 or 4 weeks, taking my time and being thorough, so Im pretty confident about my choices here.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#10. Cesium 137 - Identity

Really good American synth-pop duo. I have always enjoyed their sound as they always seem to evolve and never sound the same album to album. I get to see them live for the first time next year!


#09. Rabia Sorda - Noise Diary

The front man of Mexico City's Hocico, Erk Aicrag, goes solo for the second time and really blows his first album out of the water. I got to see Hocico for the first time this year, and Erk puts on a great show for only being him and one other person on stage. I shot a clip of one of the songs and posted to YouTube, my first upload ever, and got some great comments. Get to see Hocico live again next year too!


#08. Punish Yourself - Pink Panther Party

Discovered this band this year thanks to the split EP they were on with Ambassador 21 called "Peacemakers, Inc Vol 2". This French techno-punk-industrial band instantly grabbed my ears with their raw, gritty, & innovative sound. "Pink Panther Party" is definitely their best album thus far.


#07. Assemblage 23 - Compass

This American solo synth-pop artist, Tom Shear, has always been an electronic genious. "Compass" is definitely one of his best overall albums, as he continually evolves his sound and never get monotonus. A23 is huge in the intellectual portion of the electronic scene, and I was thrilled to finally get to see him perform for the first time this year. A23 is coming to Chicago for the first time in a long time next year, and you bet your ass Ill be there. Also, A23 is special to me in a small way, as 2 of my best friends met each other at one of his shows in London and have been happily ever after since.


#06. [:SITD:] - Rot

Rot is a great return to what Shadows In The Dark do best. Killer boot-stompy club thrashin electro-industrial. Their previous album, "Bestie:Mensch", had myself and most others scratching our heads with "What happened?", but this proves this German band still has it. [:SITD:] was one of my favorite live concerts in 2008, and I really hope they return to America again in the near future.


#05. Velvet Acid Christ - The Art Of Breaking Apart

Besides the "Fun with Knives" album and "Fun with Drugs" song from 1999, I could never really get into this Denver band very much, even tho you would assume VAC of would normally be right up my alley. Well, "The Art Of Breaking Apart" is really a beautiful, dark album that I doubt Ill ever get tired of listening to. So unlike any of Bryan Erickson's previous albums, such a wonderful unique direction. He is already working on his next album and I look forward to hearing it.


#04. Frozen Plasma - Monumentum

This German futurepop side-project of the band Reaper, continues to output fantastic albums. Vasi Valis definitely knows what he's doing and seems to have the magic touch with all of his music projects. I was thrilled to finally see Reaper this year, and Ill be even more thrilled to see Frozen Plasma for the first time next year.


#03. Cobra Killer - Uppers & Downers

This female duo was an integral part of Alec Empire's Digital Hardcore movement back in the day, in their respective bands of EC8OR and Shizuo. Now they team up for their 5th Cobra Killer album. While most of DHR's empire eventually folded, these talented and gorgeous German ladies continue to do their own thing, while constantly breaking down the barriers of music and what it should be. "Uppers & Downers" is their best effort yet, another album Ill never get tired of, and I knew it would eventually be on this list the first time I heard it.


#02. PJ Harvey & John Parrish - A Woman A Man Walked By

PJ Harvey has done it again, she has out done her previous effort and made a very catchy, elegant and poetic, in your face album. Over the past 15 or so years, she has always been one of my favorite female song writers. Ive always been a huge fan of Tori Amos, Bjork, PJ Harvey, and many many female songwriters in pop and rock, but I now think of PJ as the best of them all. Even when I go to listen to one song from "A Woman A Man Walked By", I always find myself listening to the whole album, followed by 2 or 3 of her previous albums back to back. PJ fucking rocks. The End.


#01. Ambassador 21 - Power Rage (Face Your Future Killers)

This band has shot up fast on my favorite bands of all time list with their last 4 albums and dvd. The best way to describe them, is to think of Atari Teenage Riot with 1/2 the members, but evolved to the next level or so. I really love the energy and sound that this couple from Minsk, Belarus bring to the world. One of the things I am most excited for in the year 2010 is that I finally get to see A21 live!!!! It could be nearly equivalent in the excitement I had to finally see God Module live for the first time this past year. Color me disappointed if I leave the Kinetik festival next May without getting the chance to tell Alexy and Natasha how much I appreciate their music. (Hopefully Ill get a pic with them too!)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next best 10 of 2009:

11. Genitorturers - Blackheart Revolution
12. Sonic Youth - The Eternal
13. C/A/T - We Are Still Alive EP
14. Revolting Cocks - Sex-O Olympic-O
15. Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue
16. Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
17. Splatterpunk - Channel 83
18. Miss Kittin - Two
19. Din A Tod - Westwerk
20. Concrete Rage - Chaos Nation